The day started off cloudy, but then turned to mostly sunny with some clouds. The big tropical wave that was supposedly headed our way took a turn to the east and headed north. It was already on the coast of South Carolina by morning. Our day looked very promising. We packed up our gear and drove the 13 miles north to Fanning Springs State Park.
We paid our admission fee and drove down to the springs. Each spring that we have visited over the last 2-3 years (and we’ve been to about 10 in Florida) has certain characteristics all its own.
This one was no different. It was smaller in area than some, but crystal clear. The deepest part near the hole where the water comes from was 8-9 feet deep. The shallower spots were 5 feet deep along the edges. I swam around with a school of mullet that inhabited the “pool” and could see the bottom clearly. It was refreshing, but it took some time to get used to it.
I enjoyed myself in the refreshing water, but Bob hung around on shore.
We had the place to ourselves for quite awhile. Later, we met some people who had come from Otter Springs, just 6 miles up the road. We decided that we couldn’t be this close and not check it out, so we packed up our things and left. It was easy to find, but was located in a private campground.
It was not quite as nice for swimming as many of the other springs we’ve been to.
We walked around the area, but didn’t swim. We did take a ride around the campground before we left to head back. On the way home, we ran into some rain showers, but the rain stopped by the time we got back to the campground. After unpacking, we decided to work on cleaning the underside of the awning. It was dirty and full of mildew on the edges. While we worked, we were visited by a herd of 7 deer that grazed their way through the campground near our campsite. Auggie noticed them too from inside the camper.
After we finished, we relaxed a little before dinner. We ate a little earlier today since the skies were darkening and rain was approaching. We got our evening walk with Auggie done in time and put things away for our departure tomorrow.
